Prelude to a Championship

Well...the Rangers won the Championship game. The score was 8-0 It was really fun to watch and the kids were pretty excited and happy that they won. They sure worked hard for it.

Here is the inspiring email the coach sent before the game. It sure did work.
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Each day I live, I want to be; a day to give the best of me
I'm only one, but not alone; my finest day is yet unknown. . . .
I've lived to be the very best; I want it all, no time for less.
I've laid the plans, now lay the chance here in my hands.
I want one moment in time when I'm more than I thought I could be,
when all of my dreams are a heartbeat away and the answers are all up to me.
Give me one moment in time when I'm racing with destiny.
Then, in that one moment in time, I will feel, I will feel, eternity

-- Albert Hammond and John Bettis, made famous by Whitney Houston

It was 71 days ago that we met for the first time in the rain at Woodland for that first practice. What a journey it has been. By 8:00 tomorrow night (weather permitting), 117 EAA games will have been played. 18 teams of roughly 216 players will have taken their final swings of the season, said their goodbyes, put away their baseball stuff, and moved on. Of the 20 teams, only one team will go undefeated in the playoffs. Game 118 will crown a champion.

We have accomplished many wonderful things on our journey together. We wanted to have more fun than anyone else and from the looks on your faces as you play the game, we have accomplished that. We wanted to improve more than any other team and the Red Sox and Reds will vouch that we accomplished that. We wanted to extend our season as long as we could and you have PTKP’ed (Play To Keep Playing)all the way to the very last minute of the EAA season. You are playing inspired baseball. You are hammering the ball at the plate, your pitching overwhelms opposing batters, you are making smart plays in the field, you are running the bases aggressively and smart. You are making clutch pitches and big catches when you most need them. You are calm under pressure. You are playing baseball the way it should be played. You have worked hard to get better. You have supported, encouraged and helped each other. You are truly a team in every sense of the word. It has been a privilege to be associated with such a fine group of people and ballplayers.

As a result, you are on the brink of doing something you will remember for the rest of your lives. This is your moment. We have accomplished everything we set out to do at the beginning of the season. There is just one more thing left to accomplish. Let’s win a championship.

See you at 6:15 or even 6:00 for our last batting practice together before the final caravan over to the baseball field.

Coach David